At first glance, Doug Williams' return to Grambling State as head football coach seems like a great move for the longtime NFL quarterback and Super Bowl XXII Most Valuable Player.

It sounds like less than good news for the UFL, which Williams leaves after exactly eight months as the general manager of the Virginia Destroyers, the Norfolk-based team scheduled to begin play this fall.

The UFL announced Williams' departure Monday morning in a press release, in which Williams was quoted: "I was looking forward to working with the Destroyers, but this is a great opportunity for me and it is very rare that a father gets to coach his son at the college football level ... I went to school there, I coached there, and now I have a great opportunity to coach there again."

Williams' son, Doug III (known as D.J.), also a quarterback, committed to Grambling last month.

Grambling had been looking for a head coach since Rod Broadway left for North Carolina A&T earlier this month. Williams, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy race as a Grambling senior in 1977, replaced retiring Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson in 1998 and had a 52-18 record in six seasons. Grambling went 9-2 under Broadway last season.

Williams left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' front office to become the UFL expansion team's general manager last June 21. In September, after speaking at a charity golf event in Norfolk to promote the team, Williams told FanHouse that he saw the job as the next logical step in his football career, in which he aspired to be in charge of an entire organization.

 

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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2011/02/21/doug-williams-going-back-to-grambling-leaving-ufl-behind/

Saira Mohan Salma Hayek Samaire Armstrong

Filed under: Packers, NFL Analysis

Clay Matthews is one of the best pass rushers in the league, so you would think that no matter where he is, offenses would want to make sure that he's always accounted for by their pass protection scheme.

So it might surprise you to learn that Matthews led the league in unblocked sacks last year. There were four different sacks when Matthews was able to come through completely untouched to bring down the quarterback. Initially I believed that this was a credit to Dom Capers' scheme, which managed to confuse defenses enough to let the Packers' best pass rusher come free, but in checking back over my notes it's more of a credit to Matthews' ability to read a play on the fly.

Twice Matthews came on a delayed blitz where the offensive line did not account for him because it appeared he was not rushing. It's difficult to say if these were designed delayed blitzes or simply plays where Matthews was able to rush late because he was either asked to spy (one of the sacks was of Michael Vick) or because his assigned man in coverage stayed in to block.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/27/clay-matthews-led-the-nfl-in-untouched-sacks/

Chelsea Handler Cheryl Burke China Chow

Lt. Col. Michael Rowells, a nine handicap, found himself shanking balls from the rough and dropping shots into the water Wednesday in Dubai. The serviceman was nervous and rattled by his surroundings.

The reason? His playing partner was Tiger Woods.

Rowells beat 16,000 other golfers in a draw and was given the opportunity to play with Woods. Stationed in Afghanistan, Rowells had to scramble in order to get a passport and borrowed a set of golf clubs from Emirates Golf Club.

"I came in wanting to play decent and I really didn't," Rowells said. "But it didn't matter. The experience was so far beyond what my score would have been. The time with Tiger, and the time here at Emirates Golf Club, has just been tremendous regardless of how many balls I put in the water."

Though his overall game was lacking, Rowells was able to cozy up a few approach shots and drain some long par putts during the round, drawing some praise from one of the world's top golfers.

Woods is familiar with the military, as his father did a couple of tours in Vietnam, so the two spoke mainly about Rowells' service.

"He understands the services, and that is always a plus," Rowells said. "A lot of people don't quite understand what we do. I think he has decent respect for the military and that is always nice. We spoke a little about his dad, some of the places he had been, like Fort Bragg, where I'll be ending up in the next year and a half or so."

Overall, Rowells with smitten with the experience and left impressed by the golfer, who has been dealing with some trying circumstances over the past year.

"I played with a Tiger that struck the ball very well, was a complete gentleman, a class act, easygoing and put me at ease," he said. "One of the larger-than-life figures was very down to earth and very accommodating to somebody that came in to do this."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2011/02/09/tiger-tees-it-up-in-dubai-with-serviceman/

Beyoncé Bianca Kajlich Bijou Phillips

Filed under: Colts, AFC South

INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning and the Colts still want to reach a new contract agreement sooner rather than later.

But the reality remains it will probably be later.

Less than a week remains before the NFL's Collective Bargaining runs out, after which players and teams may not negotiate until a new CBA is reached. The Colts and Manning's agent, Tom Condon, each said a deal does not appear close.

"We're having conversations so that's a positive," Tom Condon, Manning's agent, told The Associated Press at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine. "But I would agree with (Colts Vice Chairman Bill Polian) that nothing's imminent."

Polian had said as much Wednesday.

The Colts two weeks ago made Manning an exclusive franchise player to keep him from becoming a free agent. In that scenario, Manning will make $23 million next season, but the NFL and the Players Association are in disagreement over the viability of the franchise tag system.

"The players association and the management council have different interpretations about whether you can franchise any player," Condon said. "We really don't know what it means, and the players don't recognize the tag."

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/28/peyton-mannings-agent-on-contract-negotiations-nothings-immi/

Paige Butcher Pamela Anderson Paris Hilton

Filed under: NFL Draft

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two of the intriguing quarterbacks in town this week also happen to be close friends now, which will be put to the test somewhat once the drills begin.

Missouri's Blaine Gabbert and Florida State's Christian Ponder have been working out together in preparation for the combine and the NFL Draft. They also have gone fishing together and although Gabbert likes the idea of having another quarterback to bounce things off of, he and Ponder are aware that it's a unique dynamic.

"It's been great for the both of us because it's the kind of deal where we can each talk to somebody that's going through the same process together," Ponder said. "We've become pretty close and it's hard to find someone that you're so similar to. At the same time we obviously know that we're competing against other but we've formed a close bond in such a short time and we're there to support each other."

Gabbert (above, right) is projected to be one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft so he is facing a little more scrutiny than Ponder, who has to answer questions about his injury history. They don't look at all alike, as Gabbert is 6-5 and 240 pounds while Ponder is 6-3 and 227. Ponder was initially going to join Gabbert as the only two quarterbacks not to throw at the combine but he changed his mind. He also claimed to be the better fishermen of the two.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/cam-newton-not-only-quarterback-looking-to-impress-at-combine/

Tara Reid Taryn Manning Tatiana Zavialova

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Kyle Busch became the first driver in a national NASCAR race to win wire-to-wire in nearly eight years.

It wasn't as easy as it looked, not with his car getting loose and Carl Edwards bearing down over the final few laps.

Busch dominated from the pole early and held off Edwards late, maintaining the lead the entire way in the Nationwide race Saturday to set up the chance for a perfect weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

"It came down to the end of the race and Carl was alongside of me and we were racing really hard trying to beat each other, and I was like, 'Man, just beat him back to the start-finish line, man, just beat back to the start-finish line,"' Busch said. "I was just trying to hold on for as long as I could."

The Nationwide opener last weekend was a nail-biter, with Tony Stewart nipping Clint Bowyer by .007 seconds for the series' closest finish ever at Daytona. Busch had race No. 2 looking like a walkover until Edwards pulled beside him three times in the final 20 laps.

Busch never let him get around, though, fighting a car that had lost some handling after the final pit stop to lead all 200 laps around Phoenix's bumpy mile oval. He's the first green-to-checkers winner in any NASCAR series national race since Dale Earnhardt Jr. did it during a Nationwide race at Daytona in 2003.

 

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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/kyle-busch-wins-nationwide-race-goes-for-weekend-sweep-sunday/

Rachel Blanchard Rachel Hunter Rachel McAdams

Filed under: Avalanche, Western, Trade Deadline

What can you say about the Avs that Peter Stastny hasn't already? The former Avalanche star and Hall of Famer blasted his old team for trading away their youth, saying that GM Greg Sherman has "destroyed the team." But only time will tell whether the acquisition last week of former number one draft pick Erik Johnson for forward Chris Stewart and promising defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will work in their favor. As well, the club shipped goalie Craig Anderson to Ottawa for Senators' netminder Brian Elliott, so the NHL trade deadline prelude was an interesting time for Sherman.

On the heels of a season that saw them claw into eighth spot in the West Conference and into the playoffs, the Avs were supposed to be a team to contend this season, with young Matt Duchene leading the way. Instead, injuries have helped to sink their chances as they sit mired in 14th. They have a significant amount of cap room to play with, so their days in the headlines may not be over.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/nhl-trade-deadline-colorado-avalanche/

Melissa Rycroft Melissa Sagemiller Mena Suvari

Filed under: Magic, Thunder

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Magic center Dwight Howard received his 15th technical foul of the season Friday night, leaving him one shy of an automatic suspension, a cloud that now will hang over the final 23 games of the regular season.

But he also will be scary at playoff time.

Howard leads the NBA in technical fouls -- and at least one one-game suspension looks inevitable -- but he also made it clear that the Magic could be a real wild-card team when the playoffs begin.

Despite the Magic's struggles with consistency all season, Howard's growing dominance and recent willingness to hold his teammates accountable, still makes them dangerous for any opponent -- even if no one thinks they are a serious contender anymore.

"We don't care what anything says or thinks about us,'' Howard said after another Herculean effort Friday. "We know we can beat any team in the league.''

The Magic throttled short-handed Oklahoma City, 111-88, again riding Howard, who had 40 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots, a trifecta that no one else in the NBA has matched since Shaquille O'Neal in 1999.

The Magic (37-22) are resting in the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, having already beaten the Celtics, Heat, Lakers and Spurs, while losing to the Raptors, Pistons and Kings.

Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/26/nearing-technical-foul-suspension-dwight-howard-rallying-magic/

Virginie Ledoyen Vitamin C Vogue

Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, NFC South

If this was the 2008 draft and the Atlanta Falcons had the third pick in the draft, it is pretty clear they would not take Cameron Newton with that pick, like they did when they took Matt Ryan.

Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff was asked at the NFL Combine about character and personality when evaluating quarterbacks. I'm not trying to make Dimitroff look like a Cam-basher; I'm just interested in his responses because he is a respected GM and I think he's smart as heck.

"To me, it's huge. It was a big part of our interview process with Matt Ryan," Dimitroff said. "We spent a lot of time not only with him physically in Boston, but a lot of time with associates he dealt with. We want him to be the first guy in and the last guy out.

"We want him to have a presence. We want Matt Ryan to lead the entire team. ... That respect was something that Matt was able to obtain right away with the Atlanta Falcons from the defense and offense."

Did Newton hurt his chances to be the No. 1 pick when he said in interviews that he wanted to be "an icon and entertainer."

Dimitroff said it might not raise red flags with some teams, but it might raise red flags with others.

It is pretty clear the Falcons are really leaning on personality and character when drafting players or signing free agents. Dimitroff is not alone here. Teams invest a lot of money in quarterbacks and it is one position where they absolutely cannot make a mistake.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/25/cam-newton-character-questions-addressed-by-falcons-gm-at-nfl-co/

Jodi Lyn OKeefe Jolene Blalock Jordana Brewster

Filed under: Heat, Knicks

LeBron James isn't ready to call it a rivalry. Most of the media have already declared it so, especially once Carmelo Anthony came into the picture. But with only a few teams in the East with realistic chances of making a deep playoff run, the Miami Heat may have no choice but to embrace a reunion between two teams with plenty of shared history.

"We know the Heat and Knicks rivalry is way beyond our years," said James, who was only 16 the last time these two teams faced each other in the postseason with the likes of Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Tim Hardaway and Allan Houston battling it out. "It basically started with the departure of the man upstairs coming down here and leaving New York."

The path James and that man upstairs, Pat Riley, took to Miami are quite similar in both the abrupt manner they left their former teams and the subsequent firestorm of controversy it set off. While James is aware of the bad blood between the two franchises, he hasn't forgotten that it's also been a decade since they faced off in meaningful games.

"First of all, rivalries don't start until you have a playoff series or two," said James. "But we'll welcome it back, we have no problem with bringing that old rivalry back and making it fun like it has been in the past."

Dwyane Wade arrived in Miami a few years after the Knicks began their decline into perennial lottery team status but has had his fair share of battles with them in the regular season, including a 55 point performance on April 12, 2009. Though the Knicks haven't won in Miami for almost three years, Wade is excited to see if they are truly a competitive adversary.

Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/27/heat-look-forward-to-facing-new-look-knicks-in-renewed-rivalry/

Kate Moss Kate Walsh Katharine McPhee